


After All Is Done

by JEAikman



Series: The Musketeers - prompts and one-shots [21]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, a bit of old fashioned Athos guilt, because I'd expect him to feel at least a little guilty that he shot his "best friend" in the side.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-17 23:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1405978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JEAikman/pseuds/JEAikman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>d'Artagnan feels a little wobbly after everything - his side is still bothering him, though he won't say so to the others, so Athos hauls him up to his room for Aramis to tend to him, ignoring his protests.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After All Is Done

D'Artagnan winced as he sat down - they hadn't exactly had time to relax, and with everything happening so quickly, he hadn't even had time to think of his wound. Now though, it was reminding him of its presence with a vengeance. Black spots filled his vision and he might have collapsed onto the floor if strong hands hadn't caught him as he fell.

"Easy there, my lad." Athos helped him sit back up and leant him against the table so he wouldn't fall again. His eyes flickered down to d'Artagnan's side and he frowned. "I am sorry." He said sincerely as his hand automatically went out to touch it. D'Artagnan caught him gently by the wrist.

"Athos, it's fine, really." He assured him, even though the room was swaying and he breathed too deeply and everything hurt, and his grip on Athos' arm was now like a vice.

"Evidently." Athos quipped dryly. "Come on," He instructed, "I'll take you up to your rooms and Aramis can have a proper look to assess the damage."

"It's fine," d'Artagnan insisted, making to stand up, but collapsing onto Athos.

"You are decidedly not fine, young man." Athos admonished, slinging the boy's arm over his shoulder. Treville, who had been watching them stood in concern, but Athos shook his head. "We've got him, sir, don't worry about it." He assured him, and at the captain's nod continued carrying his friend towards the door.

Once he'd sat him on the bed, he went to call for Aramis, who helped to strip d'Artagnan of his shirt and peel back the bandages, despite the Gascon's protests that it really wasn't necessary. The gasps that seeing the wound earned from all three of the others - Porthos having followed Aramis - were the reason he wasn't going to let them see in the first place. He would be _fine_. He really didn't need Athos to know just how close he'd come to killing him.

"d'Artagnan-" Aramis' voice was deceptively calm. He could see that it had been tended to well, but- "you very well could have died. Why didn't you say anything?" he demanded. D'Artagnan had the grace to look sheepish, but when he looked from Aramis to Athos and back again, his reasoning became painfully obvious.

"You didn't want me to know?"

"You had more important things to worry about" d'Artagnan insisted, his gaze hard and piercing - neither he or Athos was willing to look away first. "If you _had_ known, would you have been able to see the mission through without being distracted?" Athos was about to protest that of course he would, and how dare he keep it from him when he saw the twin meaningful glances he received from Aramis and Porthos.

"And if that distraction had cost your life, any of your lives" d'Artagnan pressed on, "do you think I would ever have been able to forgive myself?" the words were a mere whisper, but they rang loudly in the silence which followed. Looking into the Gascon's eyes, Athos saw the ghost of something very familiar, and he couldn't stay angry with the boy after that - not when who he was truly furious at himself.

 

"Athos stop it. Haven't you blamed yourself for enough things that weren't your fault already?" d'Artagnan soothed, and then yelped as Aramis poked about at his wound, before glaring at their medic.

"This is different." Athos insisted. " _I_ did this to you." If d'Artagnan didn't know better, he might have thought Athos sounded as if he were about to start crying.

"Don't be such a fool, Athos - if it is anyone's fault it is my own. It was _my_ plan for you to shoot me - you all argued against it until the captain agreed that it was the only plan that could work." None of them looked reassured, and d'Artagnan had to bite his lip to stop the hiss of pain as Aramis applied ointment and redid his bandages. His acting physician raised an eyebrow at him, but the Gascon just glared back at him, and looked at them all in turn. "None of you are allowed to blame yourselves for this. Not if I'm not allowed to feel guilty for being seduced by your wife."

 

Athos opened his mouth to reply, and then closed it again. He remembered d'Artagnan's face when he had admitted that there was a woman who had left him forget-me-nots. Who was also a murderess. The threat he was making was to be as miserable as Athos if this wasn't put behind them right this second.

"You don't play fair." He grumbled. "You used to be such a little gentleman" d'Artagnan grinned, happy that this was not going to be a problem any longer.

"Well, to be fair, I'm a musketeer now, aren't I? And before honour, there's not getting killed to worry about - right?" He grinned and caught Porthos' eye. They all laughed at that. Though Athos' eyes still flickered to the boy's side occasionally, he did not let himself dwell on it. They had all known what they were doing - they had all chosen to take great risks in the line of duty - why should d'Artagnan be any different? Athos _knew_ why - and he refused to even think about hurting his little brother again. But he also knew that said brother would refuse to give him a moment's peace to brood, so he might as well try to be happy. They were all alive, and yes, they had honour, but they also had each other.


End file.
